A Trip to Mars: Part III
by UnderPolyJuice
Summary: Mountains and Valleys- enough said.    The Glee Project Fanfic
1. Chapter 1: Hospital with Kinsey

Kinsey and I rushed to the front desk of the hospital. Lindsay told me she'd stay in the waiting room until Damian got there. She hugged me before I ran to my dad's room. Kinsey grabbed my hand and we sped to the room.

"Daddy!" Kinsey shouted, rushing to his bedside chair. She kneeled down beside him and pressed her head to his chest. I stood in the door and frowned at him. Tears were streaking down my face.

I put my hand over my mouth and closed my eyes. I couldn't do it. I put my back to the wall and sank to the floor. I buried my head in my knees. This was just too much. I couldn't bear it. I shut myself off.

I left that room and went some place better. For some reason I flashed back to one of the happiest days in my life. It seemed wrong that my dad was dying two yards away from me and my mind turned to Damian.

Most of my happy thoughts involved him and I needed to be happy right then. I couldn't let myself go. I couldn't let Kinsey or my dad or the nurses and doctors see me cry. I took all the sorrow I was feeling and put it in a box in the back of my head.

I pictured myself, sitting in a tree. My nose was in my copy of Pride and Prejudice. I heard Damian call my name from his back yard. We were maybe thirteen and his voice cracked as he called from his tree. We talked back and forth, tree to tree. It was one of our best moments.

I was quietly and quickly pulled back to reality. "Riss," Kinsey said, walking over to me, "I know it's hard. You need to talk to him." She held out her hand. Her face was strong but her purple eyes told another story. I took her hand and stood up.

She led me to him. His eyes were closed and the monitor next to him was beeping faintly. I sat down next to him and Kinsey excused herself to go find a nurse.

"Dad," I said, twiddling my thumbs in my lap, "You can't leave. There's too much unsaid between us. I'm sorry for never trying…" I grabbed his hand and squeezed it. I tried to hold back my tears. "Dad, please… I need you. I never understood you but now I do. You saved people's lives but now I need you to save your own life. Please…" I sat there holding his hand.

The monitor continued to beep but it never got better. Kinsey joined me and we held hands. I put my head on her shoulder until the monitor started going again.

I looked up suddenly when I saw his heart beat gong fast and fast. I went to call the nurse in. "The monitor," I said to the first nurse I saw, "It's going faster. That means he's getting better, right? Please tell me I'm right." I grasped his arm.

"Yes," he said, nodding, "Yes. I'll go check on him. There are three people in the waiting room asking about him. You might want to go talk to them since we can't." I nodded and walked to the waiting room.

I saw Damian and Lindsay. Damian wrapped his arms around me and I sobbed into his chest, letting my emotions spill finally. Lindsay stood there looking down at the floor holding her jacket in her hands.

Damian let go of me and I grasped her hands in mine. "Thank you, Lindsay," I said, smiling sadly at her.

"Sure, sweetie," she said, kissing my cheek.

"What's going on?" a girl asked. It took me a minute to realize who she was. I finally remember her as my dad's girlfriend.

"Well, he's getting better," I said, smiling at her, "He's still in a medical-induced coma but he's alive." She nodded and smiled, relieved.

"What's happening to him?" Damian asked, taking my hand.

"It's something with his leg," I said, shaking my head, "I don't know the name. He's got clots in his leg and the pain causes him to pass out. I had no idea… He was so sick all this time…" I started crying again. Damian put his arm around me.

Carissa took my hand, silently begging me to take her to my dad. I nodded. Damian let me go so that I could take her. She sat down next to my father as I pulled Kinsey aside.

"Kinsey, I can't stay here," I said, "I just…"

"Go," she said, "I'll stay here." She kissed my forehead.

"Thanks, Kinsey," I said smiling. I took one last look at my dad before going to the waiting room.

"Mars?" Damian asked, taking my hand, "Are you okay?"

"Yeah," I said, "I'm fine. Could you drive me home?" He nodded.

The three of us walked out to Damian car. I climbed in the back seat, wanting to lie down. We dropped Lindsay off first. When she left I climbed up front. "Damo," I said quietly as we started driving again. "Could I maybe not go home?" I asked, "I just… it'd be too much. Can I stay at your house, please?"

"Yeah," he said, "Yeah. I insist."

"Thanks," I said, smiling a little, "I love you."

"I love you too."


	2. Chapter 2: Opening the Door with Dad

I woke up on Damian's lap. It was mid-day. I smiled up at him. "Morning," I said, sitting up.

"Morning," he said, "How are you?"

"I'm well," I said, rubbing my eyes, "I'm going to the hospital."

"Do you want me to drive you?"

"No," I said, "I need to go by myself." He nodded and kissed me. "I love you," I said, realizing the weight of my words. This was the guy I wanted to be with for the rest of my life. I smiled at him and he smiled back.

I left the McGinty household and went to my garage next door. I loved the idea of us living next to each other. I hopped in my car and drove to the hospital.

"Hi," I said, putting my arms on the front desk, "I'm Dr. Von Bleicken's daughter."

She smiled and nodded. "Right," she said, "Do you know where his room is?" I nodded then went to my dad's room. I walked into the dark room; they said the light was harsh on my dad's eyes.

Kinsey waved a little at me then stood up from the bedside chair. "I'll leave you alone," she said, leaving the room. I sat down in her place.

"Hey dad," I said. My eyes were tearing up looking at him. "Some people say you can hear me while you're in a coma but I don't know. Dad, you and I never connected like you and Kinsey. It's partly my fault. I've never tried to talk to you. I know I'm a closed door but aren't you supposed to try to open it?" I started getting angry. "Damian told me to try to talk to you once but when I got home you were with your girlfriend when we were supposed to watch a movie. I had to go to Damian's house because I was so angry with you. Damian talked some sense into me. He told me you were probably just trying to introduce me to someone special to you because _I _was special to you. After that I tried to be more open to conversations with you but whenever you tried to talk I'd just get angry and leave. Now I know what I'm doing to you- to us. We could've had a relationship but both of us were too high and mighty to really try.

"Now you're in a coma and I'm scared. I never knew what I had until this and for that I'm thankful. But now I'm scared we won't get to have a relationship. I'm scared we'll never get to be friends. I'm scared we'll never get to talk again. I want to know what you did before you were married. You were in the army, right? I want to know about that. And I really want to know about my mom. I really want to know about her." I started crying.

"Dad," I said, tears spilling down my face, "Please… I love you. I know I haven't said that in years but, I love you. I don't want you to go. I need you to stay. Please…" I grabbed his hand and sat there for an hour or two.

A nurse walked in. "Miss," she said quietly, "Due to your father's stable state we're planning on moving him. We need you and your sister to discuss where." I nodded. The nurse came back with Kinsey and a doctor then she left.

"Okay girls," he said, smiling at us sadly, "I know this is a really hard time for you but we need to talk about moving your dad. This room is reserved for emergency patients and now that your dad is stable we must vacate it. I was close friends with your dad, you know. He once told me that if he were to fall seriously ill that he'd like to be at home, I know now why he told me that. You're dad never told you he was sick, did he?" We shook our heads. I was surprised, I thought Kinsey would've known. "So, do you think we should move him to your home? Other than that we have the options to move him to a private practice or another room in this hospital. As his only other family members, it's your decision. I'll let you think about it." He began to leave but I stopped him.

"Wait!" I said, putting my hand up to stop him. I looked at Kinsey, seeking her approval. "How long is he going to be like this?" I asked him.

"Well," the doctor said, "It's impossible to say. It could be a day or two or it could be years. There's no way to know." I sighed.

"If my dad's not working how can we afford any of it?" Kinsey asked.

"Your rich," the doctor said, "You didn't know that?" We shook our heads. I knew we weren't poor by any stretch but the way he said it made it seem like he thought we were millionaires. "Your father has millions in the bank! He's got investments lined up plus when his father died he gained hundreds of thousands in inheritance!" Kinsey and mine eyes grew wide.

"I-in that case," Kinsey said, rubbing her temple as she tried to process it all, "I think we should put him in our home." I didn't like the way she said it, like he was a dog that we were deciding to take home. The doctor nodded and handed Kinsey some paper work to fill out.

"We'll set up his room in your house tomorrow. If you could clear a two foot radiance around his bed that'd be great." With that he left.

Kinsey turned to me. "Hey, Riss," she said, putting her hand on my shoulder, "I'll fill this out if you would go clean the house." I nodded. I walked over to dad and kissed his cheek before leaving.

I walked out to the parking lot and started the car. I put my hands on the steering wheel but I couldn't bring myself to put it into gear. I laid my head on the wheel and started crying. My tears turned into sobs.

Finally I pulled myself together and drove home. I pulled into my driveway and looked at Damian's house. I saw Samuel's motorcycle and Lindsay's car. I texted Damian to come over.

I heard five voices downstairs. I recognized them as Lindsay's, Samuel's, Damian's, Mick's, and Cameron's. "Hey, Mars!" I heard Sam call, "Where are you?"

"Coming!" I said, walking downstairs with a lamp in my hands, "Can you guys help me move some of this stuff out of my dad's room. We're moving him in here tomorrow!" I sat down the lamp. They nodded at me and I led them upstairs.

My dad's room looked strangely different when I took out all the plants and lamps. Cameron and Lindsay took out the bedside table and Damian and Samuel moved the

futon from the guest room to my dad's wall so that Kinsey and I could sit in the room with him. I sat one my dad's bed and looked at the room, not knowing how I felt.

We all sat together on the bed. I laid my head on Damian's chest. Lindsay took my hand and put her head on my shoulder. I knew then they'd all be there for me in the weeks to come.


	3. Chapter 3: Moving in with Paramedics

I watched them carting him in. I frowned as tears streaked down my face. He looked so peaceful. If I hadn't known better I'd say he was asleep but unfortunately I did know better. He was in a coma and the ride to his own house had close to killed him.

Kinsey was giving the paramedics instructions on where to go. I couldn't hear her, my world was silent. I was in some sort of trance. I couldn't hear anyone or anything.

As the men came in carrying machines and equipment to keep my father alive, Damian walked in. He knew me well enough that if he said anything I wouldn't hear him. Instead of talking he put his arm around me.

After everything was hooked up in my dad's room they left. I saw Kinsey thank them and shut the door. As they left I fell out of my trance and came back to reality. Kinsey smiled at me and Damian. "I'm going up to stay with him," Kinsey said. She flew up the stairs.

Damian and I sat down on the couch. I sighed, it was over. I had been dreading the move from the hospital to the home. "I'm hungry," he said, "Want me to fix you something?"

"No, I'm fine," I said. He looked at me for a second before getting up. I knew what he was thinking. He thought I was going back to old habits. I frowned at him as he walked into the kitchen. I wasn't weak. I wasn't going to go back to that place.

Damian came back with a ham sandwich. The smell did something to me. "Oh my God," I said, putting my hand over my mouth and running to the bathroom. I threw up my breakfast. Damian walked in; thankfully his sandwich wasn't with him.

"Are you okay?" he asked. I flushed the toilet and looked at him, scowling.

He angered me. He was always asking after me. I knew it was because he loved me but it made me feel like he thought I was inferior. "I'm fine!" I said, shoving him out of the way. I stomped up the stairs and slammed the door of my room. I didn't hear the front door shut so Damian was still in my house.

An hour later I walked down to the living room. Damian was sleeping on my couch. I scowled at him as I sat down next to him. He woke up and looked at me. "I'm sorry for whatever I did."

I snorted. "I'm sorry for shoving you," I said. We sat face to face, our toes wrestling.

"Are you okay?" he asked.

"No," I said, "No I'm not. I'm angry, I'm scared, and I'm hungry." He smiled at me and took my hand. We walked into the kitchen where he started cooking chicken. "What're you making?" I asked, sitting on a barstool.

"Well I'm tackling the least of your problems first," he said, turning on the stove, "With venetian apricot chicken. Do you think Kinsey will want any?"

"Yes," Kinsey said, walking in, "Who knew you cooked, Damian?" I scowled at her flirtatious tone. Damian's accent had done the charming again. He looked at me and smiled, letting me know not to be threatened.

The smells of apricots, tomatoes, asparagus, and chicken drifted through the air. Damian spun around as he cooked, looking almost graceful but as it was Damian, grace didn't come easily. I looked on in admiration.

I pulled my laptop to me from where it was charging on the counter and put on some music. Damian danced as he cooked, making me laugh. He took away all the sorrow and pain I was feeling. Kinsey giggled at his eyebrow movements that I was so used to.

Half an hour later, Damian arranged three plates of chicken. Kinsey applauded him and I dug in. It was delicious. We ate and laughed. It felt like Heaven for thirty minutes of so. Damian and I drank crème sodas as Kinsey sipped on a wine. For a while it was like things were back to normal.

"I'm going back next week," Kinsey said to me as she cut up her chicken, "Are you going to be okay here alone?"

"I'll be fine," I said, "Will you?"

"Yeah," she said, brushing it off, "The paramedics left notes on how to take care of daddy, just in case he doesn't wake up before I leave." I nodded.

"Mr. Schue called," Damian said to me, "He said he's sorry for what happened and he'll be stopping by sometime this week." I nodded but I wasn't okay with the idea. I didn't think I wanted people stopping by and babying me.

"I think I'm going to go up," Kinsey said as she finished her food, "Thanks for dinner, Damian." Damian, mouth full of food, waved and we watched her go upstairs.

I kissed Damian and said goodnight. I was ready to be alone.


	4. Chapter 4: Pizza with Damian

The days passed and he still didn't wake up. I sat by his bedside and read to him. I knew he liked Hemmingway so I sat reading _A Farewell to Arms. _

"_It was all as I had left it except that now it was spring. I looked in the door of the big room and saw the major sitting at his desk, the window open and the sunlight coming into the room. He did not see me and I did not know whether to go in and report or go upstairs first and clean up. I decided to go upstairs."_ I sighed and closed the book.

"Sorry, dad, but I've read you three chapters and while I know he's a genius, Mr. Hemmingway is boring me to tears." I looked at him, as if waiting for a response. I wanted him to laugh or at least to smile but he just laid there in silence.

Kinsey walked in and grabbed the book. "I'll take over," she said. I showed her where I was in the book then left.

I walked downstairs and out the front door. I found I left the house more often since he went into a coma. I found the atmosphere daunting in my home. I couldn't be around it too often. I walked along the streets.

The summer rain began to pour. I looked at the sun as it shone brightly in its spot in the sky. I adverted my eyes and sat down on the edge of the sidewalk. I put my head on my fists and sighed.

I looked out of the corner of my eye to see Damian. "Hey," he said, sitting down next to me, "You okay?" I took his hand and put it on my lap.

"Yes," I said, smiling, "I'm actually doing well, right now. I just read the first three chapters of Earnest Hemmingway's _A Farewell to Arms _to my dad. It's… ironic," I said, looking away, "Now my dad and I spend more time together than when he was you know… conscious." He put his arm around my waist. I stood up. "C'mon," I said.

"Where are we going?" he asked as he stood up next to me.

"While I love your gourmet meals, I want pizza," I said, taking his hand and walking to the pizza place by our houses.

"I can make pizza," he said, a little indignant. I looked at him sternly and continued leading us down the street. He finally gave in and wrapped his arm around my shoulders.

Damian opened the door for me. I walked to the counter and ordered a large vegetable pizza. We sat down at one of the two-person tables and waited for our order to be ready.

"So," I said, putting a napkin on my lap, "What's going on?" I smiled at him.

"I've been trying to hit a note but I'm having serious trouble with it. I need it to sing the song I'm going to do for our first assignment." I remembered the assignment Mr. Schue had emailed us. We had to pick a song about our summer. I had the strong feeling he did it for me.

"Ask Lindsay for help," I said, shrugging, "She can go higher than any of us."

He looked at me and smiled mischievously. "But I was looking for an excuse to have you over," he said.

I grinned at him. "You don't need an excuse to come over to my house," I told him flirtatiously, "When Kinsey leaves in a couple of days we'll have the house to ourselves. Well, other than my dad but…"

"Right," he said nodding, "I don't know how I feel about making out with you while your dad's in a coma three doors down the hall."

I nodded. "Yeah, you're right," I said.

A perky girl who looked our age walked up to us with the pizza and our Italian crème sodas. I thanked her and grabbed a slice. When I bit in it was heaven. Damian took a slice. Once he took a bite I could see the anguish of not cooking my dinner disappear.

"I'm going to California next week," he told me.

My face fell. I had only gotten through this whole coma-thing because Damian was there for me. I didn't like the idea of being home alone. "That's… um… why?"

"Family reunion," he answered simply.

"Oh," I said, taken aback. I didn't know Damian had family in the States. "That'll be fun."

"I'd rather be home with you," he said. I saw the truth in his statement.

"I'd rather like that too."

He smiled and kissed me. "It'll only be a week."

"Only a week?"

"Only a week," he confirmed.


	5. Chapter 5: Playing with Fire

It was the day Kinsey was going home and still dad hadn't woken up. Kinsey walked into the living room where all her bags were stacked. She had just talked to him and now was ready to leave.

"Well," she said, shrugging and looking around, "I guess I'm ready to go. Bye, Riss."

"Bye, Kinsey," I said. She took me by surprise by hugging me.

"I love you," she said.

"I love you, too," I replied, still in shock. We never hugged.

I watched her leave from the front porch. She waved goodbye from the front seat of my dad's car. She'd be driving back in it. I waved a little.

When she drove off another car drove in. I recognized it as Mr. Schue's. He pulled into my driveway and walked up to me. "Hi, Marissa," he said.

"Hey, Mr. Schue," I said, leading him into the house. I was still in my pajamas but I didn't care.

"Are you doing alright?" he asked.

"Yeah," I said, rubbing my temple, "Do you want anything to drink?" He nodded and I went into the kitchen to get a bottle of water. When I came back I saw him looking at the pictures on the mantle. He was studying one of my father, Kinsey and my mother.

My mother was the opposite of my sister, my father and I. She had dark hair and a dark face. I looked more like her than my sister. I had her eyebrows and her eyes. "You look like her," he said. I smiled at the idea that I wasn't the only one who saw it.

"Thank you," I said, handing him the water.

"How did she die?" he asked. I looked down. "Oh no, I'm sorry Marissa. I shouldn't have asked."

"No, it's fine," I said, smiling a little at him, "She died in childbirth. I never met her."

"I'm sorry, Marissa," he said.

"It's okay," I said.

"How's your father?"

"He's doing well," I said, shrugging, "In a coma but he's alive. I can be thankful for that at least. Everyone's been over too, helping me out and all. Damian can't leave me alone. He's afraid I'll fall back on my old habits. I've tried to tell him I'm fine but he won't listen. When he wakes up he'll be over to make me breakfast. He comes over to make all my meals. It's like he thinks I won't eat unless he feeds me. It's sweet I guess." I smiled a little. As if on cue Damian walked through the front door.

"Hey Mars," Damian said, studying a piece of paper, "I found a new recipe. It's got tomatoes in it. I know they're your fa-" He looked up to see Mr. Schue. "Oh hey, Mr. Schue."

"Hi, Damian," he said.

"You want some breakfast, Mr. Schue?" I asked.

"No, that's alright," he answered, "I just wanted to check up on you, Marissa. I'll see you in two weeks." He was referring to the start of school. We bid him goodbye and watched him go.

"So," Damian said, raising his eyebrow, "How about that new recipe?"

"Go crazy," I said, sitting down on the couch. Damian fist pumped and ran to the kitchen in excitement. He was a much better cook than I thought. Really, really good, in fact. I knew he was in culinary classes at school but I had no idea what his skill level was.

I walked into the kitchen. "Hey," he said as I sat down, "Do you think you'd be okay with fresh, sautéed pineapple?"

"Give it a shot," I said, shrugging. I stood up again. "I'm going to go change," I said, smiling. He nodded and I went upstairs. I looked at my closet, pondering what to wear. I grabbed a white button-up shirt that I rolled up to my elbows and a pair of jean shorts.

The smoke detector went off. I raced down stairs, my feet bare. The kitchen was smoking. I ran towards the thick smoke. "Damian!" I yelled, coughing, "Damian!" I waved my hand through the air, wafting the smoke away from me.

"Mars!" he called back, "Get out of here, the fire's out don't worry about it! Just get out of the smoke!"

"Where are you," I cried. I heard a thud. I freaked out, knowing he was asthmatic. "Damian? Damian, where are you?" My foot hit something heavy and I tripped. I grabbed for it and found my hand on Damian's shirt. I tried to pull him out but he was too heavy. Giving up I reached for the phone and dialed 9-1-1.

"9-1-1, what's your emergency?" the operator asked.

"My boyfriend," I gasped, "Was cooking and he set the kitchen on fire. He stopped it but passed out. He's got asthma." I gave her my address.

"We're sending an ambulance," she said, "What important is you get out of there."

"What about him?" I asked, tearing up.

"The ambulance will be there in a few minutes. You need to get out of the smoke."

"Okay," I said, nodding, "Thank you." I hung up. Somehow I couldn't bring myself to leave Damian. I hosted him up by the shoulder and tried to drag him out of the kitchen. "Damian, c'mon," I said, "Wake up! I can't lose you too!" The last time he had collapsed he'd been hospitalized for three days.

The door opened and three firefighters stormed in. I was still trying to pull Damian out of the smoke. One grabbed me by the waist and pried me of him. He dragged me outside. "My father," I gasped, "Upstairs!" He nodded and ran back inside.

Two paramedics brought Damian out on a stretcher. One of them told me that my father was fine. I sighed in relief. "Damian?" I said, walking over to him. I looked at the paramedics. 'Is he okay?"

"He'll be fine," she said, "You need to step back, Ma'am." She held her hand out. I backed off and looked on anxiously. I craned my next to see what was going on. "He's waking up," the paramedic told me.

I pushed her aside a little too roughly. Damian's eyes fluttered open. I took his hand. "Mars?" he grumbled.

"I'm here, Damo," I said, squeezing his hand, "I'm here." I kissed his forehead. He smiled at me. _I'm here._


	6. Chapter 6: Naming with the Stars

I was in Damian's kitchen stirring a cup of freshly made herbal tea for him. I walked into the living room and handed it to him. "I'm sorry that you had to miss your reunion," I apologized for the umpteenth time.

"Mars," he croaked, "I'm fine. I told you I'd rather be here." I smiled. Damian's mom and dad had gone to the reunion but Damian's doctor had suggested he not go. He said the stress would be too much on Damian's lungs. As a result, Damian and I had his house to ourselves.

It was the first day of our week long time together and neither of us really knew what to do. "So," he said, nudging me, "What's first?"

"Cheesy movie?" I suggested.

"Sounds good," he said, jumping up and visiting his DVD collection. He finally decided on _Space Pirates._ I cuddled up next to him and smiled.

Halfway through I felt Damian's hold on me grow tighter. "You okay?" I asked, looking up at him.

"Yeah," he said, "My lungs just feel bad right now."

I kissed him. "I'm sorry," I said, "Do you need me to go get your inhaler?"

"No I'm fine," he said, kissing me. I kissed back. He wrapped his hands on my hips and our kiss went on more rapidly. I ran my hands through his hair. It was silky and dark brown. We sat up, still kissing as we did. He started unbuttoning my shirt but I stopped him.

"No," I said, pushing him off lightly, "I'm mean, I want to. I love you and I want to be with you like that but… I'm not ready." I buttoned my shirt up again, going one button higher than usual.

"Mars, it's fine," he said, putting his hand on my shoulder and looking into my eyes, "No pressure. I don't want to make you feel like you need to. I'm okay with just kissing."

I laughed. "Well in that case," I said, going in for another kiss. Damian stood up and took my hand. I looked at him with a face full of confusion. My lips were still set to kiss him.

"Let's go stargazing," he said, pulling me up and leading me outside. I agreed and grabbed a blanket. Damian opened the door for us. I spread out the blanket and we laid down. I put my head on his chest and he pointed out the planets to me. "There's Mercury," he said, pointing at one. "And there's my favorite," he said, pointing at another. It looked like an ordinary star to me but to Damian it was special.

"What is it?" I asked, knowing he really wanted to tell me.

"Mars," he said. I looked at the flickering ball of light and smiled. "Hey, remember when we were younger and we used to name the stars?"

"Yeah," I sighed, "I forgot the names, though."

"Me too," he laughed, "We should name them again." I laughed and agreed. "You see that one up there," he said, pointing to one of the brightest stars. I nodded. "Her name is Stellaluna."

"That one," I said, pointing to another, "His name is Johnny." Damian laughed at my name selection. "Hey! It's better than _Stellaluna_!" We fell into a comfortable, friendly silence.

Damian started singing softly and soon after I joined in.

"_Well how's your view of things today?  
>Got up young to fade away<br>The sinners sin but aren't aware  
>Our fables take us everywhere<br>I can't keep up with you  
>I can't keep up<em>

_I can't compete with history  
>We'll film it live but dub our tale<br>The mystery must stay inside  
>Look at our homes, look at our lives<br>In control of the morning  
>In control of the sea<em>

_You are creating all the bubbles at night  
>I'm chasing round trying to pop them all the time<br>We don't need to trust a single word they say  
>You are creating all the bubbles at play<em>

_There's a girl, there's a girl, there's a girl, there's a girl  
>And she's down by the river<br>In her own creepy world there's a girl, there's a girl  
>And she's down by the river<br>It's time to consider  
>That baby is a sinner<br>She'll wash away your sins (Wash away your sins)  
>She'll wash away your sins (Wash away your sins)<br>She'll wash away your sins and go home_

_I only once upset my kin  
>Accused him of a moral slip<br>He came back and claimed the change  
>I know his life's the same again<br>I can't ask him again  
>I should let it go<em>

_You are creating all the bubbles at night  
>I'm chasing round trying to pop them all the time<br>We don't need to trust a single word they say  
>You are creating all the bubbles at play<em>

_There's a girl, there's a girl, there's a girl, there's a girl  
>And she's down by the river<br>In her own creepy world there's a girl, there's a girl  
>And she's down by the river<br>It's time to consider  
>That baby is a sinner<br>There's a girl, there's a girl, there's a girl, there's a girl  
>(Wash away your sins, wash away your sins)<br>She's face down in the river."_

I smiled at the stars until I fell asleep in Damian's arms.


	7. Chapter 7: Volleyball with Endurance

Damian and I held hands as we walked through the front door of William McKinley. I looked at everyone and smiled. Damian and I found Lindsay and Cameron. I hugged Lindsay. "Wow," Lindsay said, smiling brightly, "Everyone's looking at us differently now that we've taken Nationals. We are moving on up on the social hier-" she said but stopped short when each of us met head on with cold, cherry slushies.

"Welcome back to school, Homo-Explosion!" a football player said as he and his cronies walked off, hi-fiving people on their way.

We all looked at each other in horror. Cameron and Damian waved and went into the boy's bathroom. Lindsay and I did the same to our bathroom. "God!" she shouted, wiping the slushy from her eyes, "I thought everything would change now that we've won National's. I thought I could come back and not get a slushy facial. What the Hell are their problems?" I had never seen Lindsay this upset.

I tried to cool her down. "Sweetie," I said, bracing her shoulders, "Don't worry about it!"

She shook her head. "When I was in middle school all I wanted to be was the popular girl in high school. I wanted people to see me differently. I wanted them to see me as someone other than the annoying, over-achieving girl with the teeth."

"Lindsay," I said, "There's more to life than being popular. When you're popular people don't see the real you. With glee you're surrounded by twelve people who love you and know you. Hell, even Emily loves and looks up to you! Isn't that better than being popular?"

She sighed and smiled. "Thanks, Mars," she said then kissed my cheek, "You're the best."

"I try."

She laughed then we continued wiping the slushy off us. I grabbed my gym clothes out of my bag and went into a stall to change. Lindsay did the same. I walked out and fixed my smeared mascara. "I'm trying out for volley ball," I told Lindsay.

"Really?" she asked from her stall.

"Yeah, this afternoon." I practiced my volley ball stances in the mirror as I made weird faces. I was in spandex shorts and a loose gray Thunderclap T-shit I had rolled up to my shoulders. Lindsay came back in grey sweat capris, a blue tank, and a yellow half-shirt. Her P.E. class was Competitive Dance, mine was Various Sports. Today we'd play volleyball which would help me get pumped for my try-outs that afternoon.

We nodded and walked out of the bathroom, head held high and eyes slushy-free. Damian and Cameron walked out about a minute after Lindsay and me. They too were wearing their gym clothes.

I felt naked wearing only my spandex shorts. Damian and Cameron were staring, making me blush. Thankfully the bell rang and I scurried off to my first class. I looked at my schedule to see that for the morning I had _French History AP, French III AP, Literacy Elite, and Art II. _I walked to History. For the afternoon _Trigonometry, Various Sports, and Free Period _were lined up.

Most French History students took French so Mr. DiMoggio would randomly throw in a French word in his lesson. I was sitting next to Samuel who was completely lost when our teacher spoke a full paragraph in complete French. I wrote the translation on a piece of paper but even I didn't catch some of the words.

We struggled through the first part of the class but when Mr. DiMoggio called me and a boy named David up to reenact how the late Marie Antionette curtsied when she first met her husband to-be was when the trouble stared.

I stood up and walked to the front of the room. "Mademoiselle," the teacher said, "What are you wearing?"

"Uh, shorts," I said, pulling at the spandex fabric. It retracted with a _snap _on my upper thighs. It hurt but I didn't let it show.

"That is not ladylike, at all," he said in French, "You must go change."

"I don't have a change of clothes," I said in English.

"I am tired of your belligerence," he said. I looked at him in shock. I wasn't aware I was being belligerent. "Go to the Principle's Office!" He was still speaking in French.

I grabbed my backpack and stormed out in a fury of red hair. I went to Principle Figgins' office and sat down in the waiting room. I saw Mr. Schue in there talking to him. I blushed, wondering how to explain myself to my favorite teacher.

A couple minutes later, Mr. Schue walked out and looked at me curiously. "I got in a… riff, you could say, with my French History teacher," I said, my head hung low.

He nodded. "Well, let's hope you don't get detention. Glee practice tomorrow. Hope you've prepared a song by now." He knew I had. I always met deadlines. I smiled and nodded. "Now, go explain yourself to Mr. Figgins." I smiled and walked inside his office.

"Shut the door, Marissa," he said. I complied then sat down in the chair across from him. "Now, why are you here?"

I reviewed the conversation Mr. DiMaggio and I had had. "Well," I said, choosing my words very carefully, "Understandably, Mr. DiMaggio was upset by the length of my shorts." I stood up to show him. "But sir," I said, sitting back down, "I had no choice. These are my gym shorts. I didn't want to wear them but I was slushied this morning."

He nodded. "I see. Could you tell me who slushied you?"

"No," I said, shaking my head, "They were football players but my eyes were clouded by corn syrup. Lindsay, Damian, or Cameron might know though, they were slushied too."

"I see," he said again, "Well, Ms. Von Bleicken, my hands are tied. I have to give you detention because your shorts are outside the minimum length. After school you'll have detention with Mrs. Pennyfeather in room 3B."

I nodded then harsh realism hit me. "Sir," I said, "Is there anyway we can move that to Wednesday. I have volleyball tryouts today and Glee Club tomorrow."

He sighed. "Yes," he said, marking something on a sheet of paper, "We need volleyball, our Football team is horrible and Glee Club actually brought some publicity to our school. So Wednesday afternoon?"

"Thank you so much!" I said, standing up.

"Goodbye, Ms. Von Bleicken," Mr. Figgins said, waving a little.

"Bye," I said, opening the door, "And thank you again." I sighed. I knew he had gone easy on me. Everyone was doing that now that my father was in a coma. I didn't like it but at that moment I wasn't about to complain.

I walked to the hall as the bell rang. Samuel came out of our classroom and smiled at my happy face. "What happened?"

"Detention Wednesday but I still get to go to try-outs and the Glee tomorrow."

"Thanks God for that," he said, looking relived.

"Why?" I asked, "What's up?"

"I'm having serious trouble picking a song," he said, "And I need your help tonight to pick one. You're my go-to song library."

I laughed at the thought. "Alright, I'll see you tonight," I said, waving and going to the next class.

The rest of the day flew by and as the time stretched on and the clock hands got closer to three I was getting more and more nervous. I clutched my stomach and waited for the final bell to ring. I gatheedr my books, stopped at my locker. Cameron wished me good luck as I put my books in. I grabbed my bag and went to the gym.

About twenty girls were lined up. The cheerleaders were in the stands, waiting for the gym to be there's. I waved a little at Emily and she flashed me a thumbs up. Coach Sylvester yelled at her for it but she brushed it off. As much as Em can annoy me I can definitely respect her ability to not let people get to her.

"Okay!" the coach yelled. She blew her whistle and had her assistant coach throw her a ball. "Basics: I'm going to throw you this ball and you're going to decide whether to bump or set it. Try to get it back to me. If you've never played this'll be hard so just try your best. If you have played before, impress me. In two lines now! This is a simple drill, ladies. I throw you the ball and I hopefully get to catch it. If not go get your own ball. You'll trade off between lines. Let's go!" We all assembled quickly into two lines. I was third in my line.

When it was my turn she threw the ball too high. I let it go, my experience telling me it'd be out. "Good judgement, Von Bleiken!" she shouted, "That was my bad. Try it again!" She threw me another ball. It went up and left to where the setter would be. I ran and dribbled it then put it back in the basket. I ran back to my place in the line behind a blond with a short pixie cut. I learned her name was Macy. It continued as such for twenty minutes.

We went on a three minute water break then we started serving. Coach divided us up on each side of the court by those with experience and those without it. I stood with the rest of the girls who'd played before, ball in hand. Coach blew her whistle and it was like all hell broke loose.

I tossed my pure white volleyball in the air, jumped and slammed it. It flew over the net and straight down. The girl next to me gawked, making me blush.

I had loved volleyball since middle school. While I was an outcast at any other given time, I was a start on the court. It was the only place I belonged back then.

After serving for twenty minutes we took another water break then we took on spiking. I was in my element. Spiking was my favorite part. We all lined up and Coach set us up. When it was my turn I ran up a little too late and ended up having to dive for it and bump. "Sorry, Coach," I said, standing up and running for my ball.

"No problem, Von Bleicken," she said, stopping the whole drill, "What Von Bleiken just showed was amazing judgment. She ran way too late but she saved it with a good bump." I blushed and cowered away to the back of the line. A couple girls eyed me with menace but most smiled at me and gave me thumbs up. The next ball I spiked perfectly then went to retrieve it.

I was the second to the last to go and when we were done Coach told us to take a knee. "Alright, ladies," she said, putting her arms around the two girls on either side of her. They did the same and soon we were all linked. "We saw some awesome skills today. Unfortunately, we only have room for twelve girls on the Junior's Volleyball team. The good news is, anyone not put on Varsity will be on JV so everyone here can play. The team roster will be posted tomorrow before school so be on the look out. Go home and get some rest. Good job ladies!" She applauded us as we left the gym and the Cheerios took over.

I climbed into my car and drove home, completely satisfied with my performance.


	8. Chapter 8: Playing with my Violin

I walked over to the violin. It had been years since I'd played. My dad had always told me I should take it up again.

I grabbed it, my airduster, polish, and new strings and went into my dad's room. It had changed so much since he had first been moved in after going into a coma. There was a stack of Hemmingway books on the bedside table, an iPod on a dock that constantly played my dad's favorite music, and not to mention the myriad of machines and devices that kept my father alive.

I sat down on the chair and took to dusting my cherry wood violin. It took a while but I finally got all the dust off. Then I removed all the rusted, worn out strings and replaced them with the new ones after I polished it. Then I tuned the strings. Finally my once abandoned, forgotten violin looked beautiful.

I took it in my hands and put it up against my chin. It was like riding a bicycle, you never forget how. I took the bow and played. I played _I Dreamed a Dream. _He loved Les Miserables.

I played until my fingers were numb and the sun was setting. "I'm sorry," I said, "For not playing for you when you were really there." I set down my violin so that it was leaning against the chair. I kissed his forehead and left, shutting the door behind me. I pushed back tears and went to the bathroom to take a much needed bubble bath.

I pulled out the candles from the cabinet in my bathroom and I turned on the faucet and held the soap under the gushing water for a minute till the water was bubbly. I grabbed a match and lit the candles. When everything was set up I stripped my clothes and climbed in. I sank low into the suds and closed my eyes.

My mind raced with ideas but at the same time it felt oddly vacant. I let all the stress of the volleyball tryouts fade away. I tried not to think of my dad in the next room. I had been thinking of him a lot. I didn't want him to wake up from his coma alone so I had written a note on the bedside table to tell him what had happened to him- just in case I wasn't there when he woke.

It had been a moth and a half since he'd fallen into his coma. Despite the long time I wasn't used to idea of it all. I pushed those thoughts out of my mind.

I took in a deep breath then went under water. I loved the water and its effect on people. When people are in the water they feel graceful and beautiful, something I needed right then.

The water was so relaxing that I wanted to stay there forever. I managed to keep from falling asleep. I never wanted to leave that tub. I was in Heaven there. There was no pain in my bath. No suffering or comas. No sore limbs from volleyball or-

The doorbell interrupted my thoughts. I suddenly remembered Samuel was supposed to be over so I could help him with his solo. I shot up, blew out the candles and got into a robe. I bolted downstairs to answer the door. Sure enough, the blue eyed, dreadlocked friend of mine stood there, sheet music in hand.

"Um," he said, looking at my attire, "Did I come at a bad time?"

_Yes, _I though silently. "No," I said instead, "I just… I was with my dad and lost track of time then I took a bath."

Samuel braced my shoulders, making me feel uncomfortable. "Mars, it's fine," he said, "Go change and I'll get set up down here." I nodded.

I started going up the stairs when I had an idea. "Hey Sam," I said, peering around the banister, "How about we do this in my dad's room? I think he likes music. His heart beat increased when I played the violin to him." I said it proudly. It was a miracle in a way.

Sam smiled and nodded. He followed me upstairs and I showed him where my dad's room was. I walked into my room and slipped on my pajamas. I walked in to see an uncomfortable looking Sam in my dad's room. He smiled with relief when he saw me.

"What song did you have in mind?" I asked, sitting down.

"Something to sing to Micky," he said.

"Well that narrows it down," I said sarcastically, "C'mon, Sam. What do you really want to say to her? If you had five minutes to live, what song would you sing to leave her with?"

He sighed. "I want to tell her that she'd the most important person in to world to me. I want her to know that I think about her all the time. She's made all the pain go away. I want her to know I love her."

"Well then, I know just the song."


	9. Chapter 9: Running with Teary Eyes

"Samuel," Mr. Schue said, calling him up.

Samuel stood in front of us. "This summer meant a lot to me," he said, "But there's one thing that made the whole thing amazing. Or rather- someone that made it amazing." He smiled at Mick.

The music started and I began to snap since I knew the song. It was a fun song but so were Mick and Sam so I thought this one was perfect for them.

"_Never know how much I love you  
>never know how much I care<br>when you put your arms around me  
>I give you fever that's so hard to bare"<em>

Everyone smiled and began snapping to Samuel's sultry voice.

_"you give me fever_  
><em>when you kiss me<em>  
><em>fever when you hold me tight<em>  
><em>Fever<em>  
><em>In the morning<em>  
><em>Fever all through the night<em>

_Sun lights up the day time_  
><em>moon lights up the night<em>  
><em>I light up when you call my name<em>  
><em>and you know I'm gonna treat you right."<em>

_The girls sang lowly as back up._

_"You give me fever_  
><em>when you kiss me<em>  
><em>fever when you hold me tight<em>  
><em>Fever<em>  
><em>in the morning<em>  
><em>Fever all through the night."<em>

_"Everybody's got the fever_  
><em>That is somethin you all know<em>  
><em>Fever isn't such a new thing<em>  
><em>Fever start long ago<em>

_Romeo love Juliet_  
><em>Juliet she felt the same<em>  
><em>When he put his arms around her<em>  
><em>He said Julie baby your my flame<em>

_Now give me fever_  
><em>When were kissin<em>  
><em>Fever with that flame in you<em>  
><em>Fever<em>  
><em>I'm a fire<em>  
><em>Fever yeah I burn for you"<em>

Bryce pulled Emily up and began dancing with her. Damian and I did the same. To my surprise, Cameron pulled Hannah and twirled her. Lindsay and Alex bumped hips to the beat of the music. Ellis and Matheus stood on chairs and danced. 

_"Captain smith and Pocahontas_  
><em>had a very mad affair<em>  
><em>When her daddy tried to kill him<em>  
><em>She said daddy oh don't you dare<em>

_He gives me fever_  
><em>With his kisses<em>  
><em>fever when he holds me tight<em>  
><em>Fever<em>  
><em>I'm his misses<em>  
><em>Daddy won't you treat him right"<em>

Samuel reached out for Mick's hand and she took it coyly. He wrapped his arm around her hips and they swayed.

_"Now you listened to my story_  
><em>Here's the point that I have made<em>  
><em>Chicks were born to give you fever<em>  
><em>Be it fair and have a sense of game<em>

_They give you fever_  
><em>when you kiss them<em>  
><em>Fever if you really learned<em>  
><em>Fever<em>  
><em>Till you sizzlen<em>  
><em>But what a lovely way to burn<em>

_But what a lovely way to burn_  
><em>But what a lovely way to burn<em>  
><em>But what a lovely way to burn."<em>

We all clapped and sat down. "Good job, Samuel," Mr. Schue said, standing up and applauding him, "Next up: Marissa."_  
><em>

I frowned and stood up. "Well," I said, running my hand through my hair, "I learned a lot this summer." I felt the tears already. "I had fun and laughs but there was something else that stood out. I learned that the saying 'you won't know what you have till you lose it' wasn't just a saying. Though my father isn't dead I did loose him but I also gained knowledge. And while I'd kill for my father to not be in a coma, I can't deny it has opened my eyes. This is my song for the summer."

The music started and I closed my eyes.

"_There was a time when men were kind  
>When their voices were soft<br>And their words inviting  
>There was a time when love was blind<br>And the world was a song  
>And the song was exciting<br>There was a time  
>Then it all went wrong."<em>

I prepared myself to belt. 

"I dreamed a dream in time gone by  
>When hope was high<br>And life worth living  
>I dreamed that love would never die<br>I dreamed that God would be forgiving  
>Then I was young and unafraid<br>And dreams were made and used and wasted  
>There was no ransom to be paid<br>No song unsung, no wine untasted"

Everyone stood and cheered as I poured my soul into the music. 

"But the tigers come at night  
>With their voices soft as thunder<br>As they tear your hope apart  
>As they turn your dream to shame<p>

He slept a summer by my side  
>He filled my days with endless wonder<br>He took my childhood in his stride  
>But he was gone when autumn came"<p>

I started crying.

And still I dream he'll come to me  
>That we will live the years together<br>But there are dreams that cannot be  
>And there are storms we cannot weather"<p>

I lowered my voice, showing too much vulnerability than I cared to.

"I had a dream my life would be  
>So different from this hell I'm living<br>So different now from what it seemed  
>Now life has killed the dream I dreamed."<p>

I broke down. With a whip of my pony tail I flew from the room. It was too much… just too much. I ran to my car and started the engine. It started to rain. I backed out and sped home.

I threw open the door and ran upstairs. He was still there, still unconscious. I sat down and took my violin. I started playing, letting all the emotions spill out. I sat the violin down and began to sob. I'd put on a happy face since he went into a coma but now I had to let that fall away. I sobbed until I couldn't anymore.


	10. Chapter 10: News with Lindsay

I sat on the couch in my PJ's eating a slice of the cake I had just made. I moodily took a bite. South Park was playing on my flatscreen T.V.

There was a knock on the door. "Who is it?" I yelled.

"The best guy ever!" I heard Damian tell back. I couldn't help but smile.

"Come in," I said, turning down the volume. I sat down the cake. He walked in and sat down next to me. He looked at me, waiting for me to talk. I stared right back at him. I wasn't going to break.

"Mars," he said, "Do you want to go look at the stars?" He nudged me and against my will, I smiled a little. I nodded and walked outside. He took my hand and told me he loved me. I saw the warmth in his eyes as he said it.

"I love you too," I said, "I really, really love you." We laid down on the grass. "Damian," I said, quietly, taking his hand, "When do you think he'll wake up?" I knew it was an unfair question. He couldn't answer it.

"I wish I knew, Mars," he said. He rolled over to kiss my cheek. I ran my hand threw his hair and smiled.

A car suddenly pulled up. I recognized it as Lindsay's. She stepped out and looked at me sadly. "Mars," she said desperately, "Can we talk?"

"Yeah sure," I said standing up. I looked at Damian apologetically. He nodded and watched as Lindsay and I went inside. I saw him get up and go towards his house. "What's wrong, babe?" I asked, sitting her down on the couch.

She started crying. "I-I think I'm pregnant," she said hysterically.

I looked at her in shock. My jaw literally dropped. "Wha- what?" My eyes grew as big as saucers. "When… who?"

"Jared, when we were in Hawaii. It's just starting to show," she said, lifting her shirt to show me a little bump.

"Lindsay," I said, "I…" I couldn't think of anything to say.

"I'm so scared, Mars," she said looking like a lost puppy. Her lips were pouted and her eyes were full of tears. I wrapped my arms around her and held her she sobbed. My mind raced. Lindsay, sweet, sincere, over-achieving, rule enforcing, Lindsay Pearce was pregnant.

"I'm sorry, Mars," she said, "I shouldn't have come over and bugged you, I just needed to let you know in person."

"Lindsay," I said, "Don't apologize. Thank you for telling me." I grasped her hand.

"You're amazing, Mars," she said, hugging me.

"Have you thought about what you're going to do with it… you know, the baby?" I asked. I looked at her stomach, in marvel that there was a small organism forming inside it.

"I figured I'd talk to the father first," Lindsay said, laughing a little, "But I highly doubt it'll matter. He's thousands of miles away."

I nodded sadly. "Don't make any brash decisions, Lindsay," I warned her.

"I know." She put her forehead on my shoulder. We sat in silence. I was shocked, she was upset.


	11. Chapter 11: First Game with Victory

The whistle blew and the atmosphere of the full court hit me. I was nervous, but that hardly took me by surprise. Coach gathered us up and told us the line-up. I was in the first game. I jogged to my position as left setter. I was in perfect range to spike if Lili, who was in right setter position, hit it too far and I could also easily set it to Macy who was in middle front.

The ref blew his whistle to call order. He talked for a minute about playing a fair game and we started. We were on defense. With a blow of his whistle the other team threw a lethal over hand serve.

Fortunately, Kris was going right for it. "Mine!" she yelled. She was our best bumper. She ran forward, planted herself and put her arms in front of her. It hit her forearms perfectly.

It went right towards Lili. "Got it!" She put her hand up in setting position, bent her knees and hit it right towards Macy.

Macy ran forward, jumped, and hit the ball. "Here!" She was tall so she could reach over the bet. She knocked it down the opposing side's floor. The girl on the other side of her went for it but was a second too late.

Our side of the stands stood and cheered. I hi-fived Macy. Coach gave us thumbs-up. "Good communication, ladies!" she yelled.

We rotated positions and Lili positioned herself to serve. The ref blew the whistle. Lili sighed and threw the ball up. She threw it too far in front of her and let it drop. The ref grew his whistle and gave her two thumbs up. Macy threw her the ball. Lili took it up again and waited for the whistle. When it came again she threw it up and hit it. It wasn't a good serve but serving wasn't Lili's thing.

The other team bumped it over, not respecting the _three hit _norm. "Mine," Macy yelled, setting it to Dahlia who set it to me. 

"Mine," I yelled. It was high up and close to the net. I ran and tapped it over. I landed on the ground wrong but quickly steadied myself and got ready to tap it back. The girl on the other side of me set it back and I went for it. "Mine," I called again. There was no way I could set it to anyone so I spiked it back to them.

A girl in the back row of the other team called it. She bumped it to the front row and one of their setters sent it over. Kris went for it and bumped it lightly to me. I called and sent it to Macy, who called it and set it over. She wasn't confident in her spikes and we all had agreed to let her practice her them before she did them in a game.

The other team hit it over and we had a good volley for a few minutes. It ended up that Dahlia spiked it to their floor and they couldn't get to it. We all cheered. I looked over and waved a little at Damian, Lindsay, Cameron, Mick, and Samuel.

I could see Lindsay's baby bump but no one else but Mick had noticed it. We were the only people who knew. Some people had become suspicious but most just thought she was gaining a few pounds of fat. Lindsay was sure which one was worst. I put all those thoughts in the back of my head.

We bumped, set and spiked for about forty five minutes until the first round was over and we had reached the twenty-five point marker first. By the end of the first round it was 25-19.

We walked to our bench, gathered our things and switched sides with the other team. "Okay, Ladies," Coach said, gathering us around, "While that was a great round we cannot get cocky or tired. So we're switching it up. Nellie, Sara, Lisa, you're front row, and Sammi, Lucy, Felicity you're in the back. Grab some water before we start and pray to your respectful God or gods." We all laughed. Dahlia and Dallas prayed to Allah, Sammy, Nellie, Felicity, Lucy, Sara, and Kris prayed to Jesus, and Lucy prayed to God. I sat in silence.

The six ran out to the court and got in their positions. The rest of us sat down and watched. We cheered whenever we scored and whenever we missed a point we'd clap encouragingly. Their round lasted around an hour because they had more volleys. We lost 21-25.

As team captain, Kris jogged to the ref along with the other team's captain. The flipped a coin and Kris came back. "We got first serve." We all smiled at each other. First serve meant good things.

"Alright, Ladies," Coach said, "It's time to bring out the big guns. In front row we'll have Sammy, Lisa, and Macy." We hi-fived them and they ran out to the court. "In the back row we'll have Felicity, Sara, and Marissa." I sighed and hi-fived someone's hand then ran to my position. I would be serving first.

I gulped and the ref blew the whistle. I sighed, tossed it up in the air and hit it. It was lethal. It shot down to the other side of the court and bounced to their wall. Everyone on our side clapped and cheered.

The ball rolled back to me and I waited for the whistle. I tossed the ball as soon as I heard the ear piercing sound. I jump and hit it. The ball hit the line. The line guard gestured that it was in. I smiled widely.

For the second time, the balled rolled back. The ref blew the whistle and I tossed the ball. For the third time I hit it. It sailed to the other side of the court. I ran up. They bumped, set and spiked it back.

Felicity bumped it, Lisa set it, and Sammy spiked it down. We played hard and went into over-time. The final score was 28-30 in what was supposed to be a 15 point game. When we finally won we crowded to the court and hugged each other.

We all broke away and went to our parents, or in my case, friends. I hugged Lindsay first. Samuel and Mick tackled me. Cameron and I awkwardly hi-fived. Damian kissed me making Sam wolf-whistle. Mr. and Ms. McGinty congratulated me.

"Celebratory pizza?" Cameron suggested. Mrs. McGinty volunteered to drive someine.

"Thanks but I'm going to have to pass," I said, "I think I'll throw up if I eat anything. I played a bit too hard. I'm going to go home and sleep."

"I'll drive you home," Damian said, wrapping his arm around my sweaty torso. His parents said they'd meet him at home later after grocery shopping then they left.

"Yeah," Mick said looking at her watch, "I'm going to have to pass, too. My dad said I have to be home by nine." She and Samuel waved then left.

"I could go for pizza," Lindsay told Cameron. She was blushing a little. I smiled as he nodded and they left.

"What's going on with those two?" Damian asked. I shrugged and we left. We walked to his car. I climbed in and laid my head against the window. The cold glass felt amazing on my over-heated face. "You did awesome," he said, kissing my cheek.

"Thanks, love," I said, smiling.


	12. Chapter 12: Talking with Mr Wyatt

My heart stopped. I had gone upstairs after Damian had dropped me off. I wanted to tell dad that we had won. I ran up the stairs and to his room. I was oddly energized.

"Hey dad!" I said, turning into his room. "Holy…" I trailed off. The monitor next to my dad had slowed to an alarming pace. I called the hospital's number to tell them about the situation. The told me that they'd send someone over immediately. I sat by my dad's bed until the doorbell rang.

I climbed down the steps, my energy gone. I opened the door. There was a doctor and a man standing on my porch. The doctor rushed upstairs but the man said he needed to talk to me.

"Listen, Ms. Von Bleicken," he said as I led him into the kitchen to make some coffee. "While we know your dad is more comfortable in your home, we are worried he's not receiving the proper care the hospital can provide. You see, the once a week check ups are just not enough."

I set the coffee beans in the coffee maker. "Wait, are you saying he has to be moved back?" I asked, looking at him. I was scared he'd affirm my fears.

"No," the man said, "But I think he needs a nurse here."

I tilted my head. "Like, as in, a live-in nurse?" I asked.

"Exactly," he said, opening his briefcase. He handed me three pieces of paper. "Here are the top three candidates. Look them over and just inform me when you're ready." I nodded and flipped through the pages.

The first was a brunette woman who looked about thirty. She was fairly pretty and had good credentials. The second was a blonde nurse with fake boobs. I passed her over and looked at the third.

She had graduated Harvard Med., had seven years of experience. I liked the look of her too. She had a kind face. It was soft and sweet. Her eyes were a deep navy and she had a fair complexion but dark hair. "This one," I said, passing the paper.

"Great," he said, "We'll have her moved in tomorrow."

"Tomorrow!" I exclaimed, "Don't I get to meet her first?"

He chuckled. "Oh, don't worry Ms. Von Bleicken," he said smilingly, "All our candidates go through intense background check and have been interviewed. She's perfectly safe." I sighed, that wasn't what I meant. I wanted to know whether she was nice or not. I wanted to know if I'd like her or not. The man left before I could tell her what I had actually meant.

I walked upstairs to my dad's room. "Is he alright?" I asked.

"Yes," the doctor said. I recognized him as Dr. Severette, the man who had operated on my father. "Did Mr. Wyatt talk to you?" I nodded. "I think you should do it, Marissa."

I smirked. "He didn't really give me a choice."

"You really don't have one," Dr. Severette told me, "The state requires your father to have a caregiver over eighteen. They just got wind of your situation and are now enforcing it." I nodded.

"I'm going to start cleaning I guess," I told him. He nodded and went back to taking care of my father.

My house was never really dirty. I always kept it clean because I was kind of afraid of germs. But whenever Damian was over it got a little cluttered. I put things back in their right place and dusted a little.

Damian walked into my house looking panicked. "Hey," he said, "Is everything okay? I saw the lights and came over."

"Oh yeah," I said, shrugging, "My dad's heart was just going a little slow so I called the hospital. Everything's fine."

"Oh good," Damian said, sighing and laying down on the coach. I snickered.

The phone in the kitchen began to ring. I walked in and grabbed it. "Mars?" I heard Lindsay's voice say, "Is that you."

"Yep," I said, "What's up?"

"Cameron and I kissed," she said. I could almost picture her blushing furiously.

"Oh," I said, shortly, not knowing how she wanted me to respond, "And what's wrong with that?"

"Mars!" Lindsay exclaimed, her voice dropped to a low whisper, "I'm having another boy's baby. There's a small human in my uterus! I can't go kissing other boys!" She sighed, "I have to go, Mars, my mom's home and she doesn't know yet." She hung up the phone before I could say goodbye.

I walked back to the living room to tell him that Sam had needed the French History homework. He nodded and I sat down on the couch. Half an hour later Dr. Sevette walked down, waved, and left. Shortly after Damian did the same.


	13. Chapter 13: Unpacking with Cam

I woke up at seven and called the school. "Hello, this is Amary Jones at William McKinley High School," the receptionist said into the phone.

"Hi, Ms. Jones, it's Marissa Von Bleicken," I said into the receiver, "I was just letting you know I won't be coming in today."

"Are you sick or is this a family emergency?" she asked, "I need to know for filing."

"A nurse for my father is moving in," I explained.

"I'll put down family emergency," she said, "Goodbye, Ms. Von Bleicken."

"Bye," I said, putting down the phone. I laid back down in bed for another two hours.

The doorbell rang, interrupting my precious sleep. I groaned, got up, and walked down to open the door. The dark-haired nurse looked at me in surprise. I suddenly realized I hadn't brushed my hair or teeth, or changed clothes. "Sorry, I just woke up," I said, rubbing my forehead, "Here, come in." I opened the door further and grabbed the cardboard box in her hands.

I led her up to Kinsey's old room. It was a light yellow with white trimming. The bed was a white, metal day bed with a white bedspread and yellow pillows. There were white curtains and a white wicker chair. There was also a white vanity to the side of the window near the closet. An empty bookshelf sat in the corner vacant except for a few white ceramics my mom had made.

My mom had been an artist. Almost all our plates and bowls had been made and painted by her. I had a giant black vase that held a small tree in my room that she'd made.

"Those are important," I said, motioning to the ceramic cat and dog, "I'll get those out of the way." I picked them up. "I'm going to go get dressed and then I'll give you a tour." She nodded and I went into my room, ceramics in hand.

I put out my green and black lizard print hip skirt and put it over my white button up shirt that I rolled up to my elbows. I slipped on black studs into my ears and silver bangles on my left wrist. I walked to the bathroom and did my make-up. Then I walked to the bedroom where there were now three boxes and the nurse waiting for me.

"If you want to unpack before the tour that's fine," I said, "I can help." I felt the need to do something.

"Okay," she said. Her voice was low, mystical. I fell in love with it. She was sweet. "Yes, I'd like to unpack."

"Okay," I said, going to a box. I opened it up to see a box of clothes. "I'll go get some hangers," I told her, leaving the room. She nodded and I left to go get hangers. When I came back I saw the room was coming together. There were pictures and books on the bookshelf and I saw her underwear and bras in an open drawer.

I held up the hangers for her to see. She smiled and went back to unpacking. "I'm Marissa, by the way," I told her as I put a pair of jeans on a white hanger and set them in the closet. She had a style of clothing somewhat like Lindsay's. Everything was Polk-a-dots, strips, argyle or some other uniform print. Here shirts were all bright colors.

"Cam," she responded.

"What's it short for?" I asked.

"Camille," she told me.

I hung up the rest of her clothes and sorted them by color. She smiled when she saw my work. "That's nice," she said, "I'm not very organized so it's nice to see people who are." I laughed a little. "Well that's everything," Cam, said shrugging, "Time for that tour?"

I nodded and went downstairs. "This is the living room," I said, "Those are the remotes." I pointed at four different remotes. "They're difficult to manage so I'll show you how they work later." I pointed at the bathroom door. "That's the half-bath. No one really uses it except when people are over."

I walked into the kitchen. It was painted a light green with cherry wood cabinets and stainless steel finishing's. There was a grey marble couther tops and a small island in the middle with a bowl of fresh fruit. At the outside of the counter sat three barstools. "This is the kitchen. I pulled out the drawers narrating what was in them. "Utensils… stuff no one uses but won't throw away… these two don't open… and scissors." I opened the cabinets. "Bowls… cups…" I cross to the other side of the sink and the next set. "Wine glasses. The wines in the island. Go for it if you want, I only like white but dad likes red so that's most of it."

"Thanks," she said, laughing a little.

"Under here," I said, opening the cabinets underneath the counters and drawers. "Is cereal and stuff like that." I stood up. "So that's the kitchen. In there's the dining room. It's never used." I walked into it. "There's the deck," I said, pointing outside the screen door. I pointed at a door off the kitchen. "That's where the garage is." I pointed to another door off the dining room. "That's where the basement goes from and the washing machine and meat freezer are. I usually run the loads on Sundays but if you need to before then feel free. I'll also have parties down there from time to time but they never get carried away. It's usually just the Glee Club kids."

She looked at me and smiled. "You're in Glee Club?" she asked.

"Yeah," I said, smiling a little, "We just won National's in Hawaii."

"That's amazing, I'll have to hear you perform sometime. I was too cool for Glee Club when I was in high school. I always made fun of them but I really wanted to _be _one of them." I smiled at her. She was really cool for admitting that.

I went back into the living room and up the stairs to the main hall. "That's my room," I said, pointing at the first door on the left. I pointed to the second one. "That's my bathroom but you're welcome to it. I walked into it and showed her around. "The towels and washcloths are up here," I said opening the cabinet above the toilet. I pointed at the cabinet under the sink. "Plunger and toilet paper down there. My make-up is kind of spread out," I said, gesturing to the white counter top, "Sorry about that." She smiled at me. "Shower… Toilet… Medicine cabinet," I said, pressing the mirror and opening the cabinet to show aspirin and some prescriptions. We left the bathroom.

I pointed at the first door on the left. "Your room, of course. The next is my dad's." I led her to it and opened the door. It was dark; the doctor had turned off the lights when he had left last night. I turned them on and gestured around.

She looked at all the things in the room. Her eyes stopped at the violin. "Do you play?" she asked.

"Yes," I said, looking away, "I think dad's likes it." I blushed, knowing I probably sounded naïve. "I read to him too. He likes Hemmingway. I don't much but I figure he's in a coma, the least I could do is read to his tastes." She smiled again.

"I'll keep that in mind," she said, "Well, I think I'll stay in here for a while and get acquainted with this room." I nodded.

"I'm going to the store," I said, gesturing at the door, "What do you want food-wise?" I kind of wanted to get out of there.

"Pineapple, please," she said, "It's my favorite." I nodded. Her company gave me three-hundred dollars a month for her food.

"Alright," I said, after making a mental note to add pineapple to the list that was posted on the refrigerator. "See you in a bit." I left the room and grabbed my keys then climbed into my car.

I pulled into the Safeway by my house and got out. The electric doors opened and I was hit by the over-the-top fluorescent lighting. I grabbed a cart and looked over the list. I saw that Damian had put some items on it, making me snicker.

By the end of the shopping trip I had filled the cart to its capacity. I pulled in line and grabbed a magazine. The boy in front of me had a lot of items in his cart. I read through the topics, mindless flipping the pages. When it was my turn I impulsed and added a Reese's Peanut Butter package to the mix and a Mellow Yellow.

I handed the check-out man five reusable bags and asked him to not bag anything big like milk jugs or cereal boxes. He raised his eyebrows at me. My total ran up to one-hundred, thirty-seven dollars and twelve cents. I figured about forty of it was Cam's for the pineapple and her share of the meals. I had only had to use one plastic bag and felt very good about it. I loaded the bags into my trunk and left.


	14. Chapter 14: Cooking with Damian

I walked into the house, somehow managing to haul seven bags of groceries and close the front door behind me. I stepped into the kitchen and put them up. I grabbed the pineapple and began cutting it up to give me something to do.

After I was finished Cam walked down. "Hey," she said, waving at me.

"Hi," I said, putting the knife in the sink. She grabbed a bowl and a fork and began eating the pineapple. I liked that she already felt at home enough to do this. I had thought I'd feel weird having a stranger invade my home but it made the place slightly less lonely.

I sat down and watched her eat the pineapple enviously. I suddenly felt the strong urge to eat some. "Don't you want any?" Cam asked.

I smiled and looked at her instead of her food. "Oh, yes," I said truthfully, "But I'm allergic."

She frowned. "I'm sorry, Marissa," she said, putting down her bowl, "If I had known I wouldn't have asked for it. Did you buy have anything to drink?"

"It's fine and there's water and pop in the fridge," I answered. I took a drink of my Mellow Yellow. "Besides, Damian likes pineapple so you'll have help."

"Damian?"

I realized I hadn't told her about Damian. "Next door neighbor," I responded, "He's over here a lot."

"Oh," she said, raising her eyebrow suggestively, making me blush, "So you're the girl next door who'll get the guy at the end, huh?"

"Oh, he's already got me," I said, taking another drink. The front door opened. "Speak of the devil," I murmured.

"Hey, Mars!" Damian called from the living room, "Look at this. I managed to touch my tongue to my nose." I face palmed and looked at Cam apologetically. He walked into the kitchen, not even seeing her. "See, after four years I've finally gotten it! See?" He demonstrated. I looked at him painfully.

I nodded my head to Cam. "Oh," he said, putting his tongue away, "Hello."

"Hi," she said, smiling at us.

"Cam," I said, "This is Damian." Damian waved.

"Hey," he said, turning back to me, "In addition to my newfound talent I found a new recipe!" I groaned. "C'mon, Mars! Look, it has bell peppers and tomatoes, and egg."

"What is it?" I asked.

"Only the best sounding pasta ever!" he said, looking like a little kid describing his shiny new toy.

"That's what you said last week when you made that spaghetti thing," I said.

"C'mon, Mars," he pleaded, "Free food!"

"You use my food to make it," I cried, "I buy it, you just make it."

"_And that has made all the difference,_" he quoted. I sighed and gave in. He jumped and rushed to the fridge and started pulling out food. Cam fled to a barstool to give him room. "It is going to be so worth it, Mars," Damian assured me as we watched him start cooking.

"I'm sure," I said flatly.

"Just you wait," he said, waving a spatula at me, "You're about to have the best spaghetti ever!" I saluted him.

"Hey, Cam," I said, "Do you want me to show you those remotes?" she nodded and we went into the living room and sat on the couch. "Okay, this one," I said, picking up black one, "Controls the TV." I picked up a gray one, "This controls the VHS player- yes we still have one of those." I picked up the two white ones.

"These are for the Wii. The other accessories are in that chest. I have Netflix so I'll show you how it works." I turned on the Wii and looked at the icons. "Okay so we have the news, the game that's currently in the drive, the weather channel, and Netflix. So go crazy. I'm going to go make sure that Damian doesn't burn the house down."

"That only happened once!" he shouted from the kitchen. I rolled my eyes and climbed over the couch to go meet him in the kitchen. "Besides," he said, kissing me, "I learned my lesson. Never spray the-"

I smirked. "I know, you've told me. _Never spray the pan with the burner on._"

He smiled. "Right." He kissed me. I wrapped my hands around his neck until the food started to smell like it was burning. I pushed him off and he jumped into action, stirring the sauce and turning down the heat. I snickered and sat down. He took out a tray of fresh garlic bread and began making a special sauce for that.

A couple minutes later Damian put three plates on the counter. He grabbed a bottle of red wine and three wine glasses. I told Cam it was ready. "It looks amazing," she said, sitting down, "but you realize you're not legal to drink, don't you?"

"Yes but technically," Damian said, "I'm legal in my home country, Mars is in her own home, and you're over 21 so it's all good." She frowned at him. She wasn't charmed by the accent, something I found oddly refreshing. But she didn't say anything so we drank our wine and ate our spaghetti.

After a few minutes of eating in silence Damian smiled cockily at me. "So," he said, "Best spaghetti ever?"

"Yes," I grumbled, admitting defeat. I sipped my wine and looked at his grinning face. He looked too damn cute to not give a peck on the cheek as I went to put my plate in the sink.

"Ha!" he said, "I told you!" I loved how his eyes popped when he shouted "ha" and smiled. I shook my head at him. I grabbed another slice of garlic bread and smiled at him as I chewed.

"Well," Cam said, "I should go check up on your father." She thanked Damian for dinner and walked up to my dad's room.

"We're alone," I said, smiling suggestively.

"What'll we do?" she asked, setting down his wine. We looked at each other, smiling subtly.

"Mario Kart," we said in unison, running to the living room.


	15. Chapter 15: Duets with Mick

Lindsay took my hands by way of greeting. My eyes immediately went to the baby bump but sprinted back to her blue eyes. "Hello, dear," I said, "You're positively glowing."

"It's sweat," she said, shrugging, "You'd be glowing to if your spent all of third period throwing up." I nodded, "People are beginning to talk. They say I'm getting fat and some have guessed right." She sighed.

I took her hands. "Linds," I said, looking into her eyes intensely, "Don't worry. They'll find out sooner or later. Until then, you need to keep your head up and a smile plastered on your face."

Lindsay attacked me with a hug. "Thank you," she said. With a flash of her blue and black Polk-a-dot dress she bounced away, her pin curls flaunting as she went. I shook my head as she walked off.

Damian walked up and put his arm around me and we followed Lindsay on her way to Glee Club. "The lock in is set for next week," Damian said, "Mr. Schue told me."

"Awesome," I said, "I can't wait. It was so much fun last year. Why are we doing it so early? It's only been a month since school started."

Damian shrugged. "Cameron's been acting weird lately," he told me, "Like Sam did when he started dating Mick in secret. Do you think Lindsay and him are getting into a little thing behind our backs?"

"I dunno," I said, "Maybe." I answered shortly, not wanting to give any hint about the baby-mama-drama going on behind closed doors.

"It's weird," he continued, "Cameron usually tells me everything."

"Don't let it worry you," I said, patting his chest. He opened the door of the choir room and let me in. We took our seats. I sat down next to Lindsay and Damian sat behind me next to Matheus.

Mr. Schue walked in, two fedoras in tow. We all glanced around excitedly. _Duets._ "Okay guys," Mr. Schue said, putting the hats down, "As you might have guessed, it's time for duets. So, I'm going to pick two names out of the hat and a song." He reached into the hats. "_Don't Go Breaking My Heart, _Matheus and Alex."

"Uh oh," Emily said, "Diva off!" He all laughed and applauded.

"_Please Don't Leave Me, _Emily and Bryce," Mr. Schue said. We all looked at them enviously. They got lucky. "_If I die Young, _Mick and Marissa." We high-fived each other. The song complemented both of our voices and was perfect for the country girls inside of us.

Mr. Schue finished reading off the list and we were all partnered up. Damian and Samuel were to sing _I Kissed a Girl,_ Cameron and Lindsay to sing _I'm Yours, _Ellis and Hannah were set to sing _Smile. _"I want you all to know," Mr. Schue said, "That this is a competition and the winner will be going to BreadstiX. Put your best foots forward for this one." We all cheered.

We spent the rest of the hour doing vocal exercises.

At the end of the hour and a half practice Damian and I got into my car. I started the car and pulled out. "So, you and Mick?" he asked.

"We're going win," I said, "Deal with it."

"Is that so?" he asked, raising his eyebrow.

"Just you watch," I said. He chuckled and we drove home.

I was going to win this thing.


	16. Chapter 16: Singing with Glee

The week flew by what with volleyball taking three hours three days a week and then practicing with Mick, and playing violin and reading for my dad. Soon it was the day of my performance with Mick.

We took the mics and began to sing.

"_If I die young, bury me in satin  
>Lay me down on a, bed of roses<br>Sink me in the river, at dawn  
>Send me away with the words of a love song<em>

_Uh oh, uh oh"_

McKyleigh sang first.__

_"Lord make me a rainbow, I'll shine down on my mother  
>She'll know I'm safe with you when she stands under my colors, oh and<br>Life ain't always what you think it ought to be, no  
>Ain't even grey, but she buries her baby<em>

_The sharp knife of a short life, well  
>I've had, just enough time<em>

_If I die young, bury me in satin  
>Lay me down on a, bed of roses<br>Sink me in the river, at dawn  
>Send me away with the words of a love song<em>

_The sharp knife of a short life, well  
>I've had, just enough time."<em>

I took the next bit.__

_"And I'll be wearing white, when I come into your kingdom  
>I'm as green as the ring on my little, cold finger, I've<br>Never known the lovin' of a man  
>But it sure felt nice when he was holding my hand, there's a<br>Boy here in town who says he'll love me forever,  
>Who would have thought forever could be severed by<br>The sharp knife of a short life, well,  
>I've had, just enough time<em>

_So put on your best boys and I'll wear my pearls  
>What I never did is done<em>

_A penny for my thoughts, oh no, I'll sell them for a dollar  
>They're worth so much more after I'm a goner<br>And maybe then you'll hear the words I been singin'  
>Funny when you're dead how people start listenin'."<em>

We sang together, putting our souls into it and belting.__

_"If I die young, bury me in satin  
>Lay me down on a, bed of roses<br>Sink me in the river, at dawn  
>Send me away with the words of a love song<em>

_Uh oh (uh, oh)  
>The ballad of a dove (uh, oh)<br>Go with peace and love  
>Gather up your tears, keep 'em in your pocket<br>Save them for a time when you're really gonna need them, oh_

_The sharp knife of a short life, well  
>I've had, just enough time."<em>

We stood, both hands on our mics and dropped an octave to sing the last sentence. __

_"So put on your best boys and I'll wear my pearls."_

We hugged then sat down. "Beautiful girls," Mr. Schue said, "Next we have Damian and Samuel with _I Kissed a Girl._"

We all laughed as they stood up, backs turned to us. The music started and they began moving their hips to it.

Damian sang first. He turned around to face us and sang.

"_This was never the way I planned, not my intention  
>I got so brave, drink in hand, lost my discretion<br>It's not what I'm used to, just wanna try you on  
>I'm curious for you caught my attention."<em>

Samuel turned around to join Damian in the chorus. __

_"I kissed a girl and I liked it, the taste of her cherry chapstick  
>I kissed a girl just to try it, I hope my boyfriend don't mind it<br>It felt so wrong, it felt so right, don't mean I'm in love tonight  
>I kissed a girl and I liked it, I liked it."<em>

Sam took the next as Damian danced in a very Damo-like manner.__

_"No, I don't even know your name, it doesn't matter  
>You're my experimental game, just human nature<br>It's not what good girls do, not how they should behave  
>My head gets so confused, hard to obey."<em>

We stood up and sang the chorus with them. Lindsay, Mick and I climbed on chairs and danced. __

_"I kissed a girl and I liked it, the taste of her cherry chapstick  
>I kissed a girl just to try it, I hope my boyfriend don't mind it<br>It felt so wrong, it felt so right, don't mean I'm in love tonight  
>I kissed a girl and I liked it, I liked it"<em>

_Us girls we are so magical, soft skin, red lips, so kissable  
>Hard to resist, so touchable, too good to deny it<br>It ain't no big deal, it's innocent_

_I kissed a girl and I liked it, the taste of her cherry chapstick  
>I kissed a girl just to try it, I hope my boyfriend don't mind it<br>It felt so wrong, it felt so right, don't mean I'm in love tonight  
>I kissed a girl and I liked it, I liked it."<em>

We all laughed and cheered. Mr. Schue clapped. "That was a great run guys! Now go home and rest. The lock-in is coming up so be prepared with some fun, partying numbers to suggest. Results next week!" We all waved and walked out.


	17. Chapter 17: Learning with Lindsay

"_BUMP! SET SPIKE!" _Coach shouted at us, "This next team doesn't suck like the last one so man up! I know, it's hard! Lets go ladies! MOVE THOSE FEET JOHNSON!" I looked at the clock. _5:30._ It was over. I sighed. "Alright, Ladies," Coach said, blowing her whistle, "It's over. Hit the showers, go home and get ready for tomorrow's game. 6:30, here. Be here or run five miles!"

I grabbed my gym bag and walked to the locker room. Dahlia and I talked about the drills as we stripped. "I really like the switching one," Dahlia said as she pulled her shirt off, "It keeps us moving but isn't too hard."

"Agreed," I said, taking off my shorts, "But that one where we do all three positions does wonders on my bumping skills."

"I dunno," Dallas said, slipping her shoes off, "I like serving back and forth. That's probably only because my serves are beautiful."

"Oh Dallas," Dahlia sighed, "Always one with your confidence."

"You say that like it's a fault," Dallas shot back to her twin sister. I snickered. They never realized how alike they were. They both had honey brown hair, dark eyes, and pecan toned skin. Their father was Italian while their mother was a native of Sri Lanka. They had a subtle appeal to their looks.

The three of us stepped into the showers and took off our remaining underwear. We talked over the running water. They asked about my dad, to which I answered a brief and generic, "Fine." We talked about Glee Club. I tried to get them to join but they told me they were already easy targets just by being Hindu. I told them I understood.

I turned off my shower, satisfied with being clean. I slipped on my bra and underwear then walked to my locker. I grabbed a pair of jeans and a black tank top. I slipped on a blue jacket and waved goodbye to my team-mates.

I climbed into my car and waited for Damian. He was trying out for the soccer team. I would've walked over to watch but my legs were worn out and the soccer field was on the other side of school and was inaccessible by car. So I waited.

Finally Damian opened the car down and collapsed in. His hair was a wet mop on his head from the showers. He looked like a rag-doll. "Rough time?" I asked, starting the car and pulling out.

"Who knew Americans could play football?" he said putting his feet on the dash.

"We call it soccer," I said, reminding him for the umpteenth time.

"I refuse to call it that," he said moodily.

"Fine," I said, "But how'd you do?"

"Good, I think," he said, shrugging, "I hope I get in."

"You will," I told him, "You're the best player I know."

"I'm the only one you know."

"Ergo…" I said, doing a strange gesture in the air. He smiled.

"How was your practice?" he asked me, adjusting in his seat.

"Fine," I said, "More brutal than usual. We started with running around the school twice then did a bunch of drills the rest of the time. Then suicides. One fore each mistake made in the last game."

He nodded. "We ran too. Three miles, non stop. There was around twenty of us."

"Cool," I said, "I need to start running. I learned today I have no conditioning."

"We should go in the mornings," Damian suggested. I smiled and nodded. That sounded like a great idea. "How about five a.m. so we can be done by six and get ready for school in time."

"Sounds good," I said, pulling into my driveway. We stepped out and walked into my house. "I'm home!" I shouted. I was beginning to get used to someone else being there.

Damian and I sat down on the couch and turned on an installment of Mystery Science Theatre 3,000. Within minutes he was asleep. I stayed away a bit longer but at about twenty minutes into the movie I turned it off, climbed up the stairs and collapsed on my bed.

Cam came in at seven to tell me that she had ordered pizza. I walked downstairs to find Damian eating in the kitchen. He, too, looked like he'd just been woken up. "Pepperoni or cheese?" he asked.

"I'm not exactly what you'd call hungry," I told him. It was true. I didn't feel like eating at all. He scowled at my answer. I took a breadstick so he wouldn't say anything in front of Cam.

Now that my father was in a coma, I was playing volleyball, and I was in Glee Club I was under a lot of stress. Damian caught onto the real quick and began to make sure I wouldn't go back to old habits. I had tried to tell him that that had been almost three years ago but he was vehement. When it was time to eat, he made sure I at least ate something.

He seemed satisfied as I drunk the bread stick in thick red sauce. I tried to eat another but I couldn't myself to do it. I grabbed a cup from the cabinet and filled it with ice and root beer.

"Is that all you want?" Cam asked. I nodded and sipped my drink. "Are you sure?"

"Yes," I said, putting down my cup a little too hard, "I'm fine." The slamming of the cup seemed to shut the both of them up. Cam and Damian dropped the subject.

The doorbell rang and I took the opportunity to get away from their steady gazes. I opened the door. It was raining heavily. The raindrops only added to Lindsay teary face. I pulled her in and hugged her, no questions asked.

"C-Cameron told me he'd be there for me," she sobbed, "He told me that there was no way Jared could take care of the baby from Hawaii so he told me that he'd step up. He said that he couldn't watch me go through this alone and that he wanted to be there for me. He said that he'd help me out. I can't do that to him! I can't make him pay for doctor's bills or baby clothes but he said he wanted to. I can't let him!"

I heard footsteps behind me and turned around to see Damian standing there. He had a slice of pizza raised to his mouth, as if ready to take a bite. But he was frozen, his mouth open. "W-what?" he asked, looking on in shock.

Lindsay's jaw dropped and she looked at him, her eyes wide. "Damian," she said, looking at him in horror.

"Lindsay," he acknowledged, "What did you say about baby clothes?" Lindsay looked at me, pleading for an explanation but I was just as shocked as she was. I couldn't think of anything and finally, after a minute or so, Lindsay sighed. She lifted up her shirt to show the baby bump. Damian sharply took in breath. "When?" he asked.

"Hawaii," she said, looking at the floor. She was embarrassed. She clutched the baby bump for security.

He sighed and rubbed his temple. "Who knows?"

"You two, Mick, and Cameron," she mumbled, her eyes planted at the floor. Damian sat on the couch and put his head in his hands. I sat down and rubbed his back. He and Lindsay had had a relationship and know she was pregnant. It scared him. I knew he was asking him self _What if he had been the father?_ "Cameron wants to help me take care of the baby," she told Damian, sitting down on the other side of him.

"Well, that's just Cameron," Damian said, "Always willing to help." His voice was flat and his head was still in his hands.

"I can't let him do that," Lindsay explained, "It'll cost a fortune to raise a baby." She laid her head on Damian's shoulder and cried quietly. He turned on the TV to get our minds off things. Eventually Lindsay fell asleep and he carried her up to my bed. I followed and Lindsay and I fell asleep in my room.


	18. Chapter 18: In Shock with Cameron

Lindsay and I walked down the hall with linked arms. I saw Cameron reaching into his locker and separated from Lindsay, pushing her towards him. She blushed and walked over to him.

Damian walked up to me and we stood, observing them. "What's she doing?" he asked.

"They're just talking," I said, shrugging, "I think she's going to take him up on his offer to help out." He nodded and we watched from a safe difference.

Cameron slammed his locker, wiping the smiles off our faces and making us jump. I looked at Damian, my eyes wide. I shot back to Lindsay and Cameron. He started yelling. "What the Hell do you mean?" he yelled. I watched her try to calm him down but he shrugged him off. He whispered angrily at her then began to storm off.

She started yelling after him. By then they had attracted a full crowd. "Fine!" she yelled, "I was raped! Is that what you want to hear? No, it's not Jared's baby, it's some strange creep who attacked me!" He stormed out of sight. I watched as Lindsay came to the realization that around fifty people had heard her.

We stood in shocked silence. Damian told me he was going to find Cameron and I raced after Lindsay. "Linds!" I called after her. She ran outside. I pushed open the doors and caught up to her. "Linds," I said, winded, "Is it true?"

"Would I lie about it?" she asked, tearing up. We sat on the grass and pressed our backs against the brick flower pot. "Mars," she said, "He took away everything. He took my virginity, my teenage years, everything. I don't know how I'm going to go on…" I rubbed her back. "And now everyone's going to know I didn't have some mad fling with a beautiful surfer boy, I was attacked by a man on my way home from the store."

"Go home," I told her, "Go home and cool off. I'll take care of everything."

"No," Lindsay said, shaking her head, "No, I need to face it head."

"You're a lot braver than me," I told her, rubbing her back. She stood and helped me up. I found it a little ironic. We walked into the school and like she said, we faced it head on. I saw all the judgmental faces they gave her and the sneers she received. I saw people whispering to each other. I looked on in pride as Lindsay held her head high through it all.

I went to my locker. Cameron was there, putting his books in his. "Hey," he said. We always greeted each other in the morning.

"Why'd you yell at her?" I asked, nonchalantly pulling my books out. I reviewed my homework from last night.

"I was in shock. She told me Jared wasn't the father. I thought she'd been with another guy all along," he told me, shrugging, "I didn't mean to yell and I'd give anything for her not to yell that back. I need to apologize, I know. I don't know how."

I stood up and looked into his eyes. "Tell her what you just told me." I put my hand on his shoulder. "She'll forgive you."

"Thank you, Mars," Cameron said hugging me quickly. It wasn't an awkward hug like we were used to but a comfortable hug between friends. I watched him go and look for Lindsay.

Damian wrapped his arms around me from behind, taking me by surprise. "Hey," I said, taking in his smell. He kissed my neck by way of greeting. "I'm glad there's no drama between us," I told him.

He smiled and tightened his grip protectively as a football jock walked by with a slushy. I put my hands up to block the cold, icy sensation but it never came. I uncovered my face and watched as he walked right up to Lindsay and dumped it on her.

I gasped and Damian and I rushed over to her. "HEY!" I shouted after him, running after his retreating back. He turned around and sneered at me. "What's your problem?" I exclaimed. He stopped, turned and stomped up to me. A group of students gathered around, waiting for something to happen.

"Respect the queue," he said, stepping a bit too close to my face. I scowled heavily at him.

"Why so you and your Neanderthal cronies can keep terrorizing people," I said, "You have no right to slushy her or any of us!"

"Oh yeah, volleyball dyke?" He smirked at me and walked away.

In a flash of my orange hair I walked back to Lindsay and Damian. He was busy wiping the corn syrup from her eyes. Her face was red from the intense cold. I frowned at her and asked if she was okay.

"I'm fine," she said, wiping the slushy from her arms, "I just don't get it…"

"What?" Damian asked.

"Nothing," she said, walking off. We began to go after her but the bell rang, signaling the start of class.


	19. Chapter 19: Slushied with Matheus

I looked at the list on the bulletin. Mr. Schue had tacked it up earlier. _New Directions Duets Competition Results: Lindsay and Cameron. _I smiled at the list. It'd bring some brightness to their days, and they could go out to eat and talk things over.

"What's it say?" Matheus asked, making me jump. I hadn't seen him walk up.

"Oh, Lindsay and Cameron won," I told him adjusting my backpack. We started walking to the cafeteria together.

"Good," he said, "I heard what happened earlier."

I nodded. "Poor-" The rest of my words were cut short by a cold slushy to the face. I wiped the blue corn syrup of my eyes and looked down to see Matheus was drenched in a cherry slush. I licked the raspberry off my lips.

"That's for this morning!" the jock said, running off. I recognized him as the guy I'd confronted earlier. I clenched my fists to my sides as I watched him go.

"And so the slushy has been reinstated," Matheus said. We looked at each other in dread and groaned.

_A/N_

_Okay, so there you have it._

_Thus part III concludes._

_Expect Part IV sometime middle of August or before :) _


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